Do you think Player X is being drafted too high and Player Y is a steal right now? Today, we’ll compare the average draft positions of catcher-eligible players, as found on FantasyPros.com, with our Recently, O’s manager Buck Showalter told reporters the team will place Wieters on the DL to begin the season, hoping he returns around April 11, as he's still recovering from season-ending Tommy John surgery.

I expect once fantasy owners realize this, his draft stock will plummet, allowing you to extract even more value, assuming you can get by with a replacement option for a short time. Tommy John recovery is typically shorter for position players, and players can resume their expected level of play much quicker than pitchers, meaning Wieters isn't such a risky investment.

Overrated

Yan Gomes

Gomes has had his share of buzz this spring, mostly about his power. However, plenty of catcher options this year can hit 15 home runs, and we project Gomes for 17 this year. Given his 14.4% home run per fly ball last year, he’ll need to hit more fly balls this year (39.4% fly-ball rate) if we wants to stand out from the pack. Gomes' value in the field means he will likely have a long leash in the case of a slow start at the dish.

Yadier Molina

In retrospect, Molina's 2012, where he had 6.1 WAR, 22 home runs, and 12 stolen bases, was a career year. He might always have real-baseball value as a brilliant defensive catcher, but we don't even expect him to surpass the magic number of 50 in runs/RBI (each) or 10 home runs. At this point, it is only safe to expect above-average contribution in the batting average category.

Devin Mesoraco

Many look at Mesoraco's 440 plate appearances and 25 homers from 2014 and see a 30-homer bat if he sees more trips to the plate. But as a full-time catcher in the Senior Circuit, he is unlikely to improve that figure by much. We project 429 plate appearances and 21 home runs for 2015, meaning the hype may not be totally justified.

Salvador Perez

The Royals backstop does have 20 home run potential, as advertised by his 11 homers in the first half last year, but we project a .714 OPS and only 15 homers, which is not elite by any means. If Perez maintains his 44.8% fly ball rate from last year’s second half, we may be too down on him.

Properly Rated

Buster Posey

He’s actually being drafted 10 spots too low by our estimates, but he is far and away the top catcher on the board. The Giants recognize his value as a batter, and Posey will be given more time at first base to keep his bat in the lineup. Don’t be afraid to pull the trigger in the second or third round.

Conclusions

This analysis corroborates the idea that catchers are the quarterbacks of fantasy baseball -- in a few aspects, anyway. All 12 catchers listed here are capable of 15 home runs, and based on ADP, you would get more value out of your catcher pick if you picked him early or late in your draft, but not in the middle.